Louisville-Savannah State Preview

NO. 6 LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (3-0) vs. SAVANNAH STATE TIGERS (2-2)

Game Time: 7:02 p.m.

Location: KFC Yum Center: Louisville, Ky

Television: ESPN3

Announcers: Dave Weekley (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst)

Officials: Brian Dorsey, Louie Andrakakos and Ron Tyburski

Favorite: No line

All-Time Series: Louisville leads 1-0

Last Meeting: Louisville won 71-45 on Dec. 20, 2006 at Freedom Hall

Probable Starting Lineups:

Statistics:

Relevant Videos:

About Savannah State:

The Tigers are 1-1 in the Global Sports Showcase after beating Cleveland State 87-83 at home in overtime on Nov. 22, overcoming a 13-point second half deficit. They had previously lost a 66-47 road game at Marshall. 

Savannah State, which posted a 13-19 record last season, was picked to finish seventh in the 13-team Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Located in Savannah, Ga., the Tigers return two starters and will play another common foe at Indiana on Dec. 6, just before U of L faces the Hoosiers in the Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 9.

Louisville has a 9-0 all-time record against current MEAC members, having previously faced five of its 13 members. The last MEAC school the Cardinals faced was North Carolina A&T, which U of L beat 79-48 in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament in Lexington, Ky., Louisville's first NCAA Tournament game on its way to the 2013 NCAA Championship.

Notable

--Monday's game is the Cardinals' third in the 2014 Global Sports Showcase, a five-team, round-robin event played at various campus sites. U of L is 2-0 in the event, while Savannah State is 1-1.

--Louisville is favored in tonight's game for a program-record 52nd straight time. The Cards have not been an underdog since playing at Syracuse on March 2, 2013. All told, U of L has been the favorite in 76 of their last 77 games.

--Louisville's 99 victories over the last four years are the most wins in the nation in that stretch. Louisville is the only school in the nation with three straight 30 win seasons, including a school-record 35 victories amassed by Louisville's 2012-13 NCAA Championship team (30 in 2011- 12, 31 in 2013-14).

--Terrence Williams had a really cool dunk the last time Louisville played Savannah State. I couldn't find it on a quick search, but it's out there somewhere.

UPDATE (thanks, @wscii):

--U of L is 151-9 over the last 14 seasons under Coach Rick Pitino when scoring 80 or more points (20-1 last season, 11-1 in 2012-13).

--The Cardinals are 3-0 for a sixth consecutive season.

--Louisville is 9-0 all-time in games against opponents from the MEAC.

--Louisville's 88-39 win over Jacksonville State was Rick Pitino's 21st victory at U of L that came by 40 points or more, the most of any coach in Cardinal history.

--Rick Pitino is just two wins shy of 700 for his career.

--Louisville is 21-0 all-time in games in which sophomore guard David Levitch sees the court.

--Montrezl Harrell is just 198 points short of becoming the 66th career 1,000-point scorer at Louisville.

Ken Pomeroy Prediction: Louisville 83, Savannah State 56